


Something New (Kuro x Fem!Reader)

by KayoriSuoh



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Biting, Blood Kink, Eventual Romance, F/M, Human/Vampire Relationship, Light Angst, Loss of Virginity, POV Female Character, Rough Sex, Sex, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-05-24 19:18:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14960555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayoriSuoh/pseuds/KayoriSuoh
Summary: Mahiru Shirota, whose cousin is an international university student, prepares for her stay at his apartment for the summer. Meanwhile, Kuro shows an interest in the cousin, and suddenly the idea of having a significant other is not such a bad idea.(This is part of a four-part mini-series.)





	1. I - Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo before we begin, even though this is technically a reader-insert, I’m taking “ownership” of the main details to the character so her character style flows with the theme. She’s related to Mahiru, therefore some of her traits will resemble him to an extent. You still have your name (obviously) and eye color, but other traits I will fill in~ :) 
> 
> Also, this is a Kuro-centered fiction. I decided to follow through with my original plot of giving him a significant other due to the fact that two Servamps in particular had romantic attachments/relationships with their Eve's before the current storyline, so I figured why can't Kuro? ;) 
> 
> Enjoy!!

“So, let me get this straight,” Mahiru’s brow twitched angrily, “You were just sitting here the entire morning and still managed to trash the entire apartment?! I was only gone for three hours!”

Kuro yawned, looking up at his annoyed Eve with an impassive look, “Don’t you get tired of repeating yourself? We go through this at least once a day. I’m a lazy slob and you’re a neat freak. Can we move on?” 

“’ _Can we move on_ ’?” Mahiru repeated, brow twitching even harder, “Why don’t you do something other than sit on your ass and play videogames all day?!”

“I take offense to that,” The vampire continued to stare at his Eve in silence before yawning again, turning his attention to the screen in front of him and proceeded to continue playing his game. 

He knew Mahiru would throw a tantrum and obsessively clean his apartment while complaining to himself, so he decided to drown out the furious bantering of the younger boy. 

“Dude, my cousin is coming today, so can you please help me get this place ready?” Came the aggravated request. 

“Huh?” Kuro looked over his shoulder at the boy who was viciously mopping a spot on the floor, “Cousin? You never mentioned any cousins before.” 

“That’s because she was an international transfer student, and you never voiced any curiosity of my _living_ family,” The brunette pointed out, “She’ll be here sometime in the afternoon.” 

“That’s plenty of time for you to clean up,” He could feel Mahiru’s glare on him as his human form exploded into a puff of smoke before revealing his cat form, “Besides, how could you make an adorable pet clean your house? That’s very rude.” 

“ _You’re not an adorable pet!_ ”

“Yeah, and _you’re_ not a housewife.”

“Ughhhh, Kuro!!”

. . .

It was late in the afternoon when he woke up from one of his multiple naps (after disappearing to avoid his annoyed Eve) and noticed that Mahiru was still cleaning the apartment. Not that this was a scene the cat-vampire wasn’t met with daily, but this time it was different. Mahiru seemed to be making sure every nook and cranny of the floors were polished to perfection and the furniture was dust-free. He even noticed that the kitchen area was spotless, which again, wasn’t out of the ordinary but it seemed this time was different. 

“Did I miss something?” Kuro mumbled as Mahiru neared him, standing up on all fours from his spot on the couch to give a leisure stretch, “Are we expecting company?” 

Mahiru looked at the tiny cat and sighed, “Seriously? Don't you remember? My cousin is back from studying abroad, and I offered to let her stay with us for a few months while she’s here. Weren’t you listening when I told you about her earlier?” 

“Oh yeah... I thought I dreamt that part. How troublesome,” Kuro sighed, “I suppose this means I can continue to be my cute self and let you deal with anything that happens for the time being. Maybe we should invite her to stay longer.” 

The brunette Eve gave a depleted sigh, “Kuro, she’s only going to be here three, maybe four months tops and then she’s off to school again.” 

“Is she young like you?” The black cat sat on his haunches to watch Mahiru continue sweeping the spot he’d eaten three bags of potato chips and two cup noodles before his nap, “Or is she actually nice?” 

“Hey!” Mahiru quickly tossed all of Kuro’s clutter into the bag he’d been holding before turning to address the vampire with a haughty glare, “She’s actually twenty-two and finished a couple years in university. And yes, she’s very nice.” 

“Sounds troublesome,” Kuro yawned, “Why would anyone want to put in that much effort?”

“She’s super smart,” Mahiru spoke with a fondness that Kuro caught immediately, “I hope that I can get into university first try like she did.”

Kuro watched Mahiru momentarily before transforming into his human form, “You seem to admire her a lot. What’s her name?” 

“[Name] [Last Name],” Mahiru grinned, “You’re going to like her, Kuro. She’s an amazing cook and she’s not spooked at all by the supernatural. I should warn you though, that the first thing she’ll do when she sees you as a cat is probably smother you.” 

Not at all bothered by Mahiru’s warning, Kuro blinked and nodded, “That’s not surprising, considering I’m an adorable pet and all.” 

“You’re not an ‘adorable pet’,” Mahiru’s eyebrow twitched, “I would suggest that you meet her in person first, though.” 

Kuro frowned, “Why?”

“It’ll be easier for us to explain that you’re a vampire who can turn into a cat, rather than explaining it the other way around,” Mahiru chuckled.

“But what if she doesn’t like me after she sees this form first?” 

Mahiru turned to look at Kuro with a sly grin pulling at his lips, “Kuro... I didn’t think the opinion of a girl meant so much to you.”

With a click of his tongue, Kuro looked away from Mahiru and rubbed the back of his head with a sigh, “You’re so troublesome. I could just die.” 

“You could always stay in your cat form the entire time if it’s such a big deal?” Mahiru suggested with a teasing tone.

That got Kuro thinking, “I could, and that way I wouldn’t have to do any chores or help you with anything vampire-related.” 

“You’re really something, aren’t you?” Mahiru sighed, telling himself that he should have known better than to offer a way for Kuro to out-lazy himself.

. . .

[Name] looked around the familiar apartment with a smile as Mahiru followed her inside holding her bags, “Even though your uncle is gone away, it still seems like he hasn’t left at all.” 

“Yeah, I like to keep things simple,” Mahiru chuckled, “It’s technically still his apartment so I haven’t even moved any of the furniture or anything.” 

She turned to smile at him, “That’s just like you,” looking into the apartment again, [Name] noticed light coming from the dark room at the end of the hallway, “Is that your roommates room?” 

“He and I are going to share the same room while you take uncle’s,” Mahiru kicked his shoes off before walking passed her, “I called him, and he said to empty the dresser and free up some hangers in the closet for you, so you’re all good to settle in. He said if you decide to stay longer that’s okay too. He also said to enjoy the brand new bed he hasn't even used himself, so I hope you feel spoiled by that.” 

“How sweet of him. I’ll have to call and thank him myself,” [Name] grinned at her cousin's teasing and followed Mahiru into the room, setting the only bag he’d allowed her to carry down on said new bed, “So, about this roommate... Kuro, is it?”

“Yup! Kuro’s just as lazy and messy as I made him out to be,” With a grin, Mahiru led her out of the room and towards the dark room, “He’s... different. Just try to keep an open mind, okay?” 

[Name] nodded slowly and watched as her cousin opened the door wider for them to enter and noticed a silhouette in front of the television. Kuro, she assumed, was invested in the game he was currently playing and didn’t turn to greet them. What stood out to her more than the fact he was either incredibly shy or had no manners at all, was the fact he wore a sweater with fur lining the hood that resembled cat ears. 

“Hello,” Was his muffled greeting to [Name], “I’m Kuro, Mahiru’s roommate.” 

[Name] blinked and smiled, “Nice to meet you, Kuro. I’m [Name].” 

Her voice broke Kuro’s concentration and despite all of his initial promises to keep from interacting with her in his human form (that he made to himself considering Mahiru was the one who insisted he remain in said form), he looked over his shoulder in the direction both [Name] and Mahiru stood. When he caught sight of her, albeit shadowed due to the lack of light in the room, his ruby eyes widened slightly. 

Mahiru hadn’t given him a physical description of his cousin when he’d first brought her up, so Kuro had to use his imagination as far as the little details went. He knew she would have some sort of resemblance to his Eve, being that they were in fact blood related, but he was surprised to notice how different they were. 

[Name] had lovely round, bright [Y/C] eyes and a pale complexion. He couldn’t quite make out what color her long hair was, but from what he could tell it was a darker shade that framed her face and danced towards her lower back. She wasn’t quite as tall as Mahiru was and she had a fairly small build, but even Kuro could tell she could handle her own. 

Kuro stared at her for a moment before turning back to his game with a scowl, _‘How troublesome... She’s beautiful and she’s staying with us all summer? What a pain.’_

“Don’t mind him, he hasn’t fully developed any normal manners yet,” Mahiru chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, “Want me to make some tea while you settle in?” 

[Name] looked from the mysterious boy in front of the television and smiled at Mahiru, “That’s alright, I should probably head to the shop to pick up some ingredients for tonight’s meal.”

“You’re going to cook, huh?” Mahiru brought a finger to his chin, “Well, why don’t you stay here, and I’ll go grab what you need? It’s the least I could do considering you agreed to do all the cooking while you’re here.” 

Kuro, having been listening to the two behind him, suddenly looked over his shoulder with his eyes wider than normal. 

“I know what you’re going to say and it’s totally okay, really,” Mahiru ignored the weird look Kuro was sending him and smiled at [Name] as she started to protest, “Write down what you need, and I’ll be quick!”

[Name] grinned, reaching up to ruffle the younger males hair, “Fine, you win.” 

As [Name] left the room to go check the kitchen, Mahiru turned to Kuro with the same sly grin as before, “She’s cute, right? Going to be able to handle staying here by yourself with her?”

“You’re so troublesome, I could die,” Kuro turned his game off and sighed deeply, “What do I even say to her?” 

“Well, tell her that you’re a vampire for starters and then go from there,” Mahiru crossed his arms, “I told you she’s not spooked by the supernatural, so just go for it. Might as well break the ice and make it easier on all of us.” 

“It’s still daylight out,” Kuro argued with a depleted look on his face, “If I leave this room, I’ll turn into a cat. I thought you said not to get to know her as a cat first?” 

“I’ll close all of the curtains, and if she wonders why then use that as your way of breaking it to her that you’re not human,” the brunette Eve argued back. 

_“Finished! I left the note on the table for you, Mahiru!”_

Mahiru looked out the door with a smile, “Thanks, I’ll be right there!” Turning back to Kuro, he motioned for him to follow, “Come on, don’t just hide and sulk in this room until I get back. She’s really nice, I promise.” 

With another sigh, Kuro slowly got up and made his way to Mahiru, following him out the door and down the hall. He watched as his Eve sprinted across the living room area to close all of the curtains before making his way over to where [Name] was standing. She was watching Mahiru with a confused look and Kuro suddenly felt bad for the fact that there was a good chance he was about to frighten her despite what his Eve said. 

“Uh, Mahiru?” [Name]’s brow rose, “Why shut all the curtains? It’s still beautiful out!”

Mahiru froze before slowly looking to his cousin, “Well, you see... Kuro’s a little sensitive to the light.”

[Name] didn’t seem convinced, “Oh come on, that’s not a real thing,” the two tensed up as she marched over to where the balcony was located and gripped the curtains, “You two need to let some sunlight into this apartment!”

The second her hands began to pull the fabric apart, Mahiru opened his mouth to protest and Kuro muttered to himself. As the light filtered into the room once more, [Name] looked back to the two and blinked when only one boy and a black cat met her. 

“Mahiru, where’d the cat come from?” [Name] blinked several times before walking over to the feline, “And where’s Kuro? He was just standing beside you.”

Going over his words carefully, Mahiru shot her a strained grin, “Well, you see...”

“How troublesome,” Kuro suddenly yawned and sighed, “This situation isn’t going anything like you planned, Mahiru.” 

[Name] stared down at the black cat for a moment in shock. Not only did the cat speak, but it sounded awfully familiar to Kuro, “...”

Kuro froze, realizing he’d just spoken in front of [Name] and slowly looked up to meet her wide eyes, “Oops, I guess the cat’s out of the bag, so to speak. You were bound to find out on your own either way.” 

“Mahiru,” [Name] didn’t take her eyes off Kuro, “Care to explain?”

When she got no reply, she looked up as her cousin finished slipping out of the apartment, closing the door behind him silently. Kuro had also been watching Mahiru escape the awkward situation and made a mental note to torture him later for leaving him to deal with this alone.

“What a drag,” Kuro muttered, “Well, I suppose I could start by saying that I’m a vampire who turns into a cat when I come into direct contact with the sun. And yes, I’m the same lazy slob you met in the room.” 

[Name] looked down at Kuro again, slowly lowering herself down onto her knees to get a better look at him, “Kuro...”

The vampire flinched as he looked up at her with his eyes wide, expecting her to be instantly terrified or repulsed by what he was, when he suddenly yelped as [Name] picked him up and proceeded to smother him – just as Mahiru said she would.

“You’re so adorable!” [Name] grinned as she held the black cat close to her chest, “I don’t even care how weird this situation is right now. All I know is, you’re adorable and I’m going to spoil the hell out of you~” 

Kuro wasn’t about to protest the fact that she held him so closely to her or that she planned on spoiling him rotten, “You know, I think I’m going to like having you around.” 

. . . . . . . . .

Weeks had passed and as per the now usual routine, Mahiru was running some errands not too far from the apartment complex while Kuro opted to stay with [Name] as he always did since she had arrived. Mind you, he continued to deny any allegations Mahiru threw at him about him being attracted to the female, but he couldn’t help but notice the change in his behavior himself. 

Instead of staying in his cat form as he normally did throughout the day, [Name] would keep the curtains closed and welcomed him to walk around the apartment in his human form. He enjoyed the freedom of doing so, and always made comments about how considerate she was as compared to his Eve. The only time Kuro found himself transforming into a cat was when [Name] would take a seat to watch some television and would welcome him to sit with her, usually resulting in him falling asleep in her arms while she pampered him and stroked his fur. 

Embarrassingly enough, Kuro even found himself not being able to get a good night’s sleep unless he was snuggled into the crook of [Name]’s back, having even woken up one night to find that she’d wrapped him in a warm embrace to cuddle him against her chest. 

He didn’t quite understand what was happening to him, but all he knew was that he enjoyed [Name]’s company more than he was willing to admit out loud. However, it was during the last few days of [Name]’s stay with the vampire and his Eve that Kuro started feeling a little less at ease with how he was feeling, trying desperately to hold the frustration back as to not ruin the time they had left.

“You know, I find it funny that you never reacted at all when I told you I was a vampire in this form or how Mahiru and I are a Servamp and Eve pair,” Kuro hopped up onto a bare spot on the counter to watch [Name] as she prepared their snack for the day, “You really don’t spook easy.” 

[Name] looked at him and smiled, “It helps that Mahiru was discreetly trying to tell me that you weren’t human. Besides, I find it really fascinating that you’re a real vampire that turns into a cat in the sunlight, plus the contract business was actually really cool to hear about. You're not at all what someone would read up about in mythology books.”

“Hm, I suppose,” Kuro sat on his haunches and tilted his head to the side, “You leave in a few days, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” [Name] finished what she was preparing and distributed it out onto two plates, “I’m staying in Japan this year, so I’ll be able to come and visit a lot. Mahiru doesn't know it yet, so I'd imagine he's going to be super excited to have a family member around him again.”

Kuro frowned slightly, “Yeah, I think he will,” he hopped up onto her shoulder as she walked to the living room and then jumped down to revert to his other form to sit beside her, “Well, I’ll uh, miss having you around so much.” 

“You mean you’ll miss having someone spoil the heck out of you?” [Name] teased as she set the plates down on the table in front of them, turning to look at Kuro with mild surprise when he didn’t play back at her jest, “Kuro?” 

The vampire refused to look at her as he felt his cheeks heating ever so slightly, “This is so troublesome...”

“What is?” 

“All of the years I’ve been alive, not once did I ever feel like this,” Kuro suddenly groaned out as he sat back against the couch, running a hand down his face as he did so, “It’s all so confusing and giving me a headache. What a pain.”

“Do you need a minute alone?” [Name] frowned slightly, wondering if she did something wrong. 

Kuro peeked through his fingers at her and sighed, “No. If anything, I need you to stay close to me until I figure this whole ordeal out.” 

That caused [Name] to blush. 

Suddenly, Kuro reached forward to pick up his plate and started eating in silence. [Name] stayed still for a moment before following his example, choosing to put a movie on to entertain the two while they finished their meal. Kuro remained silent for the entire time, as did [Name] to let him mull over his thoughts in private. He didn’t say a word even as she took the empty plates to the sink and returned to finish the movie, only shifting slightly as she sat back down a little further away from him that before. 

Kuro found himself frowning at the distance, contemplating returning to his cat form to hop onto her lap. 

“Going to spill the beans and tell me what you’re thinking now?” [Name] finally spoke up as the credits rolled, quickly muting the television before turning to face him only to notice how rigid he’d become. 

Kuro frowned, “This is such a pain,” with a sigh, he finally looked at [Name] with his impassive ruby eyes, “I think I’m developing feelings for you. Actually, I’m pretty damn sure I have feelings for you, so ignore the first half of what I just said.” 

“Huh?” She blinked, “Not to be rude but, don’t vampires... not have feelings?”

“We do, but we choose whether or not we want to be romantic with someone,” Kuro ran a hand over his face again, not as surprised by her blunt misconceptions of his kind as he thought he'd be, “Most of my siblings remain attached to their Eve’s and don’t make connections with anyone else. However, it seems that even I’m not exempt from falling in love.”

[Name]’s face bloomed into a bright shade of red at his words, “Kuro, did you just say–?”

“Ah, what am I saying? Just forget it,” Kuro exhaled deeply before pulling himself up off the couch, feeling mildly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going.

[Name] stood up and reached out for him, surprised when she was met with no resistance. He stopped the instant her hand gripped the sleeve of his jacket and turned to look at her. Her [Y/C] eyes were wider than a moment ago, as if she was nervous that he’d disappear. Kuro could easily tell by the way her grip wavered that she was just as uncertain as he was, but then again, he couldn’t blame her. She’d just found out that a vampire who could turn into a cat was falling in love with her? Who wouldn’t feel uncomfortable? 

“I think you should talk to Mahiru about this,” [Name]’s response to his wanting to push this to the side surprised him. 

Kuro’s brows furrowed, “Why Mahiru?” 

“Well,” She felt awkward with the way he was looking at her and blushed, “You seem to be uncomfortable talking to me about this, considering you just told me–“

“I guess you’re right, but,” Kuro cut her off, “I don’t want to get him involved in this. He’s going to make a big deal out of nothing.”

[Name] hid the little bit of hurt at his words well and nodded slowly in silence before releasing his sleeve. Kuro’s jawline tensed as he turned around, briskly walking to his and Mahiru’s shared room before closing the door. 

Her eyes had followed him back to the room before he drifted out of her sights, causing her to breath out a deep sigh and close her eyes. Maybe she should have asked him to sit back down? [Name] leaned back against the couch and tried to relax, hoping that the situation would resolve itself soon and that Kuro would (hopefully) seek her out to talk again once he was ready.

. . .

“I can’t get over how fast time flew by,” Mahiru sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door to [Name]’s borrowed room, “You don’t feel like staying a little longer?” 

[Name] grinned over her shoulder, “Did you get used to me doting on you boys?” 

“A little,” He grinned back, a light blush lining his cheeks, “It was nice, you know... Having a woman’s touch? I can’t think of any other way to say it.” 

“I get it,” [Name] said with a smile, “Don’t worry, Mahiru. I’ll be staying in Japan this year for school, so I’ll still be around. You’re welcome to come over any time you want.” 

"Really?" Mahiru suddenly grinned, "That's great! Kuro will be thrilled to hear about that too, I'm sure."

[Name]'s smile faltered slightly as she nodded to him, "Yeah, I'm sure he will be."

Mahiru picked up on the discomfort in her voice as he watched her, when suddenly he stepped more into the room to close the door behind him, “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” She never looked over to him, but the atmosphere suddenly got thick and her pulse increased.

“What’s going on between you and Kuro?” Mahiru frowned, “He hasn’t said much to me and he’s been a lot broodier lately. You two were happily talking not even two days ago, and now you won’t even look at each other.” 

[Name] tensed, “Did he say anything to you?” 

“No, he’s like a brick wall,” Running a hand through his hair, Mahiru walked over and dropped down on the side of the bed, “What happened?”

[Name] looked at Mahiru and sighed as she took a seat beside him, “Kuro, he...”

“I told her I have feelings for her,” Kuro’s voice cut them both off, turning both cousin’s attention to the vampire now standing in the doorway. 

Mahiru blinked as [Name] looked over to the vampire, “How the hell did you get in here without us hearing the door opening?!” 

“Don’t change the subject,” Kuro sighed, “This is hard enough without you being slow.” 

The Eve shot his servamp a quick glare before looking to [Name], “He told you that he has feelings for you?” When she nodded, Mahiru then looked back to Kuro, “So, is that why you both have been avoiding each other?” 

Kuro nodded stiffly while [Name] looked over to him, “I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, Kuro.” 

“It’s not your fault,” The vampire sighed, “I’ve never had to face something like this.” 

“You should talk,” Mahiru suddenly cut in, causing both [Name] and Kuro to look at him as he fought to hide his grin, “You two need to figure things out, so why don’t I give you guys some privacy?”

Kuro opened his mouth to object as Mahiru stood up and swiftly exited the room, closing the door behind him after winking to the vampire, “He’s such a pain. He's enjoying every minute of this like the twisted little housewife he is.” 

Slowly, Kuro walked over and sat down beside [Name] on the bed. He could tell from the energy she gave off that she was fighting all the urges to hide, so he decided not to draw this out any longer. 

“I thought about it and realized that I do love you,” Kuro started, tasting the words on his tongue with each syllable spoken, “I also thought about what could happen, and can’t ask you to return my feelings because I won’t be able to protect you due to my contract with Mahiru.” 

“Sorry but, you don’t get to choose how I do or don’t feel,” [Name] looked him directly in the eyes. 

Kuro flinched, nodding slowly as to prepare himself for rejection, “If you’re going to turn me down and then lecture me, can you get it over with?” 

“What makes you think I’ll say ‘no’?” [Name]’s brow rose, “Are you really that certain?”

“Like I said, I’ve never had to deal with this before,” Kuro muttered, “This is such a pain. I don’t know how Greed dealt with this...” 

[Name] quickly reached out before he could react and cupped both sides of his face to force him to keep eye contact with her, “Well, lucky for you that I love you too, Kuro.” 

Kuro’s eyes widened, and he just stared, “What?” 

“I just told you that I loved you,” [Name] shot him a small grin, “Still think this is troublesome?” 

“Yes,” Kuro sighed, “Mahiru will never let me live this down.” 

“I’m sure he’ll stop teasing you after a while,” [Name] released the hold on his face when he caught her hands in both of his, “Kuro?”

Quickly, as to avoid changing his mind last minute, Kuro pulled [Name] against him and wrapped her in a tight hug. He felt her body tense briefly before going soft against his chest and smiled small at that. 

“You’re not bothered by the fact that I’m a vampire who turns into a cat, right?” Kuro asked, looking down at her.

[Name] shook her head, smiling as she closed her eyes, “I’m perfectly fine with that.”

“Awww, look at you two!”

Kuro tensed significantly and sharply looked over to the door where Mahiru was peeking in, a smirk in place cast at the two new lovers. [Name] lazily looked over and grinned, not at all bothered by the fact they got caught. 

“Does this mean you’re staying longer?” Mahiru was still smirking as he looked at [Name], completely ignoring the look Kuro was giving him. 

[Name] blinked and slowly pulled away from Kuro so she could address both of them, “Do you want me to?” 

“Well, I have no problems with it, and neither did uncle,” Mahiru waved the phone in his hands, signifying that he’d just called and confirmed with his relative that [Name] could stay. 

[Name] giggled, “Should I?”

“Yes,” Kuro didn’t hesitate this time, looking down at her. 

“It’s settled then!” Mahiru gave her the thumbs up, “I’ll go grab something to celebrate, and I'll even call to cancel that room you were going to take for you!” 

[Name] watched as Mahiru dashed out of sight and could hear the click of the main door closing shortly after. Shaking her head with a grin, she looked up to Kuro and blinked when she saw that he’d been watching her. 

“What’s up?”

“I’m glad you’re going to stay,” Kuro admitted.

[Name] grinned, “You’re so used to being spoiled, is that it?” 

Kuro gave her a sheepish shrug of his shoulders, “You could say that.” 

[Name]’s face bloomed as Kuro pulled her against him once more, only this time pressing his lips to her forehead. She smiled at this and closed her eyes, enjoying the light feeling the kiss left on her skin. 

. . .

Later that evening after a very enjoyable supper to celebrate all of the new changes in their lives, [Name] wandered to her room after finishing her bath to find Kuro lazing on her bed in his human form donning pyjamas, hand-held game hard at work. She blushed, having thanked whatever gods above that she’d brought a change of clothing in with her to avoid the awkward moments of having to change in front of her new lover. 

“Enjoy your bath?” Kuro finished whatever he was doing in the game before turning it off and setting it aside, so he could give her all of his attention. 

[Name] nodded with a shy grin, “Yeah. Feels weird that I won’t be leaving, though. You two don’t seem at all bothered with a girl staying with you.” 

“Mahiru told me he enjoys having you around because it reminds him of what it was like to have his mother around,” Kuro admitted, sitting up to watch as [Name] hung her bathrobe behind the bedroom door, followed by the towel she’d used for her hair, “I think he would have been about as sad as I me to have seen you leave.” 

[Name] looked over to him and smiled, “I figured that’s what was going on. It’s okay though, because now I know you both are going to be looked after and that I can stay close to keep an eye on Mahiru.” 

Kuro watched as she went through her nightly routine of preparing her things for the next morning, seeing as classes were starting earlier for her than Mahiru, and felt content for the first time in a while despite the silence. He admired the level of detail she had for whatever task she was doing and couldn’t help but inwardly chuckle, knowing that he teased or tormented Mahiru for the same level of detail on a daily basis. 

“You really are similar to Mahiru,” Kuro pointed out, “Although, it’s endearing to watch you go through your routine. With Mahiru, it seems excessive and bothersome.” 

“That’s because you’re not in a relationship with Mahiru,” [Name] teased with a grin, “Speaking of which, how does it work for you two? I mean, I know you went over the whole contract business with me before, but what is Mahiru technically to you?” 

Kuro’s eyes wandered over her form, momentarily admiring her sleeping shorts – that had cat paws all over them – before looking up at her, “He’s my Eve. As a servamp, I suppose you could say he’s technically my master.” 

“I see,” [Name] blinked, “Won’t that make it difficult to be in a relationship?” 

“If the situation was different, probably, but I’m lucky to have a flexible Eve that's more than happy to give me slack in this situation,” Kuro ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, “When I met Mahiru, I was in my cat form and he gifted me a collar with a bell on it,” he paused to lift the longer chain around his neck which sported the bell in question, “and gave me the name ‘Kuro’. Those are two of the three steps to contracting a servamp.” 

“What’s the third?” [Name] walked over and sat down beside him, reaching out to touch the bell hesitantly.

Kuro watched her with curiosity, “I had to drink his blood. That’s what sealed the contract between us.” 

“Really?” [Name]’s eyes were shining at this point, “That’s incredible. You said you had siblings too, right? Are they the same as you?” 

“Essentially, yes,” Kuro nodded, “Although, I’m the only cat in the litter. The others have different animal forms, but the contract process is the exact same procedure.” 

“Really?” She paused for a moment to roll through the information before looking at Kuro again, “If Kuro’s not your real name, then what is?” 

“Sleepy Ash of Sloth,” was the immediate answer, “but no one’s called me by that name aside from my siblings in a very long time.” 

[Name] repeated his name a few times and smiled, “It has a nice ring to it,” she noticed his cheeks heat up slightly, “Sleepy Ash suits you.” 

“I suppose it does,” He looked away feeling somewhat awkward before looking back to her, having felt her eyes on him, “It sounds nice when you say it.”

“Should I call you by your real name, then?” [Name] shifted closer to him.

Kuro watched her, slipping his hands around her waist as she inched closer, “Only when we’re alone.” 

“Deal,” [Name] smiled, when suddenly a naughty thought crossed her mind, “Even when we’re intimate?” 

Kuro stared at her for a moment and let the implications sink in, mentally picturing how his name slipping from her lips would sound breathier and in a passionate strain before shamelessly nodding, “Yes, definitely when we’re intimate.”


	2. II - Intimacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mahiru Shirota, whose cousin is an international university student, prepares for her stay at his apartment for the summer. Meanwhile, Kuro shows an interest in the cousin, and suddenly the idea of having a significant other is not such a bad idea.
> 
> (This is part of a miniseries.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Sorry it's been so long since I posted, but university has been an absolute killer. This chapter isn't nearly as long as I was hoping it would be, but the majority of this is just the bulk of their first intimate encounter. I plan on writing the next chapter in two weeks while I'm on my study break, so keep an eye out for that! :) 
> 
> So yeah, with that being said...
> 
> IF YOU DON'T LIKE READING SMUT, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER. You have been warned :)

“Kuro, I’m home!”

Kuro’s eyes opened almost instantly when he heard [Name]’s voice echo throughout the apartment. Mahiru was nearby and as always, Kuro opted to stay behind and wait for [Name] to come home from school. He knew it was his Eve’s polite way of giving the two privacy, although he figured being connected to the brunette sent off strange energy whenever he was near [Name]. However, that didn’t matter to Kuro. He wasn’t ashamed with the feelings of desire he was starting to feel in full force whenever he was around her, and while Mahiru never brought it up, he knew his Eve would feel some backlash to that. 

“Hello, Kuro,” [Name] smiled as Kuro walked into the main room to greet her, “Is Mahiru still at school?” 

“Yeah,” He nodded, leaning against the wall casually while [Name] unpacked her empty lunch kit into the sink, “but he’s going out with his friends after classes. What brings you home early?” 

[Name] looked at him, “Class ended a little early today for the students preparing for the school festival, but I’m not complaining. English literature is fun and all, but for three hours straight it tends to get boring really quick.”

“Sounds like a pain,” Kuro sighed out, “I don’t know how you have the energy to go through school, but I admire you for it.” 

[Name] smiled at him and quickly set everything else aside before walking over to him, to which he held his arms out as she neared him and pulled her to his chest, “What have you been up to today?”

“The usual, although I finally found the ultimate pillows in my dreams,” Kuro’s eyes shamelessly shifted to her covered chest before returning to meet her gaze.

She grinned, “The sly cat today, are we?” 

“Mm,” He grinned back, leaning down to press his lips against hers, “We have enough time before Mahiru needs to return.” 

The grin on her face turned into a shy smile and her face turned red almost instantly, “You mean...?”

“You still want to, right?” He looked at her. When she nodded, Kuro’s arms released their hold on her body and his hands reached for her own, “Come on.” 

[Name] could hear her pulse now, with the anticipation of what was to come. She was nervous, but who wouldn’t be their first time? The realization that this could very well be their first sexual encounter together made her mind race with both excitement and fear. 

How old was Kuro? How much experience did he have? Was she his first? Was she his first lover since he fully matured before becoming a vampire? How gentle would he be? Would be _bite_ her? _Would he turn her into a vampire_? Could he even turn her into a vampire? He never said he could or couldn’t, so the thought made her mind spin.

She gave her head a shake to try and calm her thoughts, choosing to focus on his back as he led them to her room. 

When he pulled her into the room, he closed the door behind them and finally turned to face her. He could feel her pulse even in his grip on her hand and knew she was nervous. Rightly so, considering he was a vampire and there was an admittingly high percentage that he would bite her during their time together. He also couldn’t guarantee that he would be the gentlest lover for her first time either, which brought him a bit of anxiety at the thought of hurting her. Even with reminding himself that she was only human, his animalistic impulses fired off as his eyes roamed over her body. 

_‘Man, she hasn’t even touched me yet and I’m already to the point where I want to rip her clothing off and throw her on the bed,’_ Kuro withheld a sigh, _‘This is going to be more difficult than I thought.’_

“Are you scared I’m going to hurt you?” He caught the subtle hint her in her eyes and needed clarity, because the moment she answered even the slightest bit positively he would back off. 

[Name] took in a deep breath and shook her head with a smile, “No, I’m alright. I’m just getting into my own head, is all.” 

Kuro rolled over her words for a moment before turning to her, and suddenly he was backing her up – _herding her_ – towards the bed. When her knees caught on the side and her body tumbled back, he couldn’t help the small grin that tugged at his lips. 

“I want you to be very sure that this is what you want,” [Name] could hear a change in Kuro’s voice now. It was as though he was struggling to speak, “I may not be able to hold myself back if things get too... _rough_.” 

[Name] paused, appreciating him giving her the chance to opt out and try again another time. However, he’d already been patient enough with her the past few weeks as they grew more and more bold each time they were alone together. She was happy that he was a thoughtful lover, but now she wanted him to take the lead and take all of the nervous energy she was feeling and turn it into something different. 

“Kuro,” He stared down at her, a little shocked at the authoritative that she spoke with, “If you don’t kiss me right now, I’ll have to kick your ass.” 

He didn’t need to be told twice. 

Kuro all but lunged onto her, his self-control slipping for a brief second as his lips pressed against hers. His entire body was felt like it was on fire, and suddenly the need to touch her skin made a savage demand of his hands. He could feel her squirm beneath him as he slipped one of his hands under her uniform shirt, letting a soft growl settled in the back of his throat when he heard her breath hitch. 

In reality, [Name] was completely unaware at the entire effect she had on him. He was so painfully attracted to her that whenever the idea of touching her entered his thoughts, his mind went blank and the desire to take her roughly against any solid surface grew stronger and stronger. He wanted to hear her moan beneath him, and he wanted to hear her whimper his name when he pleased her. He wanted to _feel her_ around him, and to taste her at the peak of her arousal. 

It took quite a lot of mental convincing that he wasn’t just a pervert trying to take advantage of her, and that she really was his lover. With all of the thoughts he had, he also wondered how he ever managed all of these years without tearing a few people apart with this unbridled want he felt right now. 

How did he manage all of this before? Did he even experience something like this for any other reason than craving blood when he was younger? He couldn’t remember wanting blood this bad before if he was being honest with himself. 

Kuro’s body responded to the quick pace of [Name]’s pulse, not missing a beat as he slipped the hand under her clothing to the small of her back to lift her off the mattress, quickly pulling her school uniform over her head before kissing her again. She responded eagerly, and now kissed him back with as much passion as he delivered. This sent pleasant shivers down his spine, and only amplified when he felt her pull the zipper of his jacket down. 

[Name] could tell that Kuro was crushing whatever instinct was telling him to do as she helped him remove his jacket, catching a brief glimpse of the way he stared at her now. His eyes were dilated, and he had a look of undisguised hunger. At that moment, her body froze, and her mind begged her to reconsider. Instead, she gripped the bottom of his under shirt and gave a tug, watching as he obediently lifted his arms to allow her to pull it off him. 

Kuro’s hands found her again, pushing her flat against the bed as he pressed himself close to her frame. He shivered again, enjoying the feeling of her bare flesh against his own and wondered why her body heat did such wonderful things to him. 

The intense desire to bite her suddenly washed over him, causing his eyes to snap open and his teeth to ache. 

“Kuro?” His eyes snapped to hers and she felt him hold his breath, “If you need to bite me, you can.” 

He hesitated, despite all of the hunger he felt at that moment.

That is, until she exposed her neck to him. 

Kuro’s entire body burned, and without hesitation he accepted her offer. Almost expecting her blood to taste bland as a repercussion of drinking from another human than his Eve, Kuro was thrilled to find that her blood was as sweet as it smelled. He crushed all of the urges to rip into her in that instant, trying to hold back those urges that demanded he take more than he needed. 

[Name] moaned and arched her back as he drank from her, not expecting it to feel as good as it did. She could feel his grip on her tighten as she moved, and slowly she reached up to grip the back of his neck. 

“Kuro!” She gasped, feeling his forgotten hand slip under her skirt to tease her burning core.

Kuro growled, feeling how her body was already set to accommodate him. Pulling his fangs from her neck, he licked the small amount that spilled from his bite. He felt her shudder, as he drew his tongue up the length of her neck and to her jaw, giving the occasional nip as he went along. 

“Don’t call me by the name my Eve gave me,” His raspy voice whispered into her ear, “Call me by my real name.” 

[Name]’s eyes fluttered as she nodded, “Okay.” 

“Say it,” Kuro softly demanded, nuzzling his nose into the side of her neck to inhale her scent while his fingers grew bolder and tugged at her panties. 

She felt very aware of her position at that moment, but tried to be as brave as she could, “Sleepy Ash.” 

“Good,” He kissed the side of her head before moving his hand to grip a fistful of her skirt, giving a rough tug as it slipped from her body, “You’re shaking.”

“I’m okay,” [Name] tried to focus on her breathing. 

“Relax,” Kuro shifted, kissing her gently on the lips as his hands made quick work of her final layer. 

He didn’t give her the chance to speak as he kissed her again, this time running his fingers along the length of her inner thigh as he neared her apex. When he finally touched her, he felt her body shiver against him and swallowed her moans. His fingers gently slid up and down her heat before he took to her sensitive button, circling his fingers and enjoying the reactions that he earned from her. He felt her fingers dig into his back and her kisses grew more feverish as he teased her. 

[Name] felt like she was floating on air, and he hadn’t even done much to her other than do some heavy petting. She was sensitive to each move his fingers made against her. His kisses took her breath away, and the heat wafting off his body sent more and more tingles over her skin. Even as his other hand reached up to cup and fondle her breasts, it made her body crave more and more. 

“Put your hands on me,” Kuro suddenly muttered in her ear, kissing his way back down to her neck to sink his fangs into her soft skin once more.

[Name]’s hands found the bare expanse of his chest, running the tips of her fingers down the length of his body before rounding to his back once more. She heard him growl the longer her fingers continued to dance over his heated skin, and with that she felt a bit bold. Kuro shook hard against her when her hands gripped his pants and gave a tug. He helped her discard the rest of his clothing with ease, leaving the two of them completely exposed to each other. 

“[Name],” Kuro pulled away, licking his lips to catch the remnants of her blood as he leaned up to look her in the eyes, “Are you ready?” 

She gasped out his name loudly as he sunk one of his fingers deep inside of her, feeling his eyes on her the entire time her body exploded in pleasure. He was skilled, swiftly pumping his curled digit a few times before adding a second. She writhed under him, unable to hold back from moaning as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face into his collar bone. 

“You’re doing so good,” Kuro rasped in her ear, “Hang onto me tightly.” 

[Name] dug her nails into his shoulders as she felt the heat quickly pool in her abdomen, “Kuro–!”

“ _Sleepy Ash_ ,” He cut her off with a growl, roughly driving his fingers deep inside of her, causing her to snap her head back with a gasp. 

The heat continued to build, and she felt like she would explode, “Sleepy Ash!”

“Good girl,” His eyes snapped to her neck, watching as the open spots where he’d bitten her ooze with blood and with that, the animalistic urges revved up with a vengeance. 

He shifted until his body covered hers completely, and all too quickly he pulled his fingers from her wet heat. [Name]’s breath caught in her throat as her eyes fluttered, the heat still pulsating and simmering as Kuro’s hand shot up by her head to grab the pillow her head was on. He took advantage of the fact that her body was loose and still well ignited to ease himself in between her legs, leaning down to bite the opposite side of her neck as he slowly began to enter her. 

[Name]’s eyes clamped shut as she muffled a cry into his shoulder, trying desperately to keep breathing as he filled her. The initial penetration wasn’t nearly as painful as she thought it would be, but hell if it wasn’t the most uncomfortable thing she’d ever experienced thus far. 

She could feel his body vibrate as he moved, and all of a sudden, she was very aware of the fangs embedded in her neck as he clamped them down harshly. With a startled cry, [Name]’s hand caught a handful of his hair for something to anchor her to until he finally stopped moving. 

Kuro was at a loss, staring down two different paths as he shook with restraint and bit down harder into her flesh. He wanted to ravish her, to savagely take her until she couldn’t remember her own name. On the other hand, the small part of him that continued to patronize him for being too rough with her already was telling him to be gentle, and to hold back his desires until she was more used to the raw, animalistic side that teetered on the verge of taking control.

[Name] listened to him inhale several deep breaths through his nose before he shifted, causing her to bite down on her lower lip with anticipation. There was relief when his jaw went slack, sighing as she felt the release of pressure from the bite he left on her that was sure to leave a nasty bruise. 

“[Name], I have to move now,” His voice was low, _dangerous_ even, and wasn’t like she was used to but at this point it didn’t make her nervous anymore.

Kuro looked down at her and was surprised when he caught a slight hint of fear in her eyes, knowing that he must have looked quite a fright with her blood dripping from all over his face and his eyes dilated with the lust and haze from his feeding. 

[Name] reached up, touching a bare spot on his face when he started to shift his weight, slowly starting to move inside of her to gently build up to a more intense tempo. She felt her insides pulsate with excitement, relieved that the discomfort was quickly ebbing away into something much, _much_ nicer. She felt like she was being enveloped by Kuro’s scent, and it started to drive her crazy. 

Kuro was also beginning to feel the high of being surrounded by [Name]’s scent, both her personal aroma and the blood he’d left all over her upper body and bed. He tried desperately to keep his eyes anywhere but her neck, forcing himself to watch her as she started to build up to her pinnacle again. It made his mouth water, watching her eyes flutter and her mouth open with silent gasps. She was _stunning_. He gripped the bedding closest to her head so hard his knuckles whitened, watching her as she arched herself back and moaned his name the closer she got to her release. 

By the gods, he wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, and how it pleased him that she was in ecstasy, but the words were heavy on his tongue. All he could think about the closer his own release grew was how delicious her blood was, and how it satiated the burning deep in his throat each time his fangs punctured her skin. 

He didn’t think, instead, he lurched forward and bit down on her again, taking greedy gulps of her blood while he harshly snapped his hips against hers and momentarily losing grip on his self-control. The loud moans he gained from her with the cool, soothing feeling seeping down his throat made him groan with pleasure. 

“Sleepy Ash,” [Name]’s breathing was rough, and the burning in the pits of her belly was almost at its peak, “I’m–” 

Kuro’s hands were suddenly on either side of her hips as he roughly took her, pulling back from her neck to kiss her hungrily as he swallowed each of her moans with pride. It didn’t take long before he reached his own peak, giving one final thrust before spending himself completely inside of her. 

He took a moment to catch his breath, pulling away from her completely in fear of letting the smell of blood lull him into another haze and draining her dry. Having been so long since he’d drank so much at one time, Kuro felt like he was in a drunken stupor as he made his way to the door to go fetch some cloths and a bowl of warm water. 

[Name] breathed deeply, trying to bring her heartrate back to normal as she watched Kuro lazily through hooded eyes, “Kuro?” 

“I’ll be right back,” He was halfway out of the room when he stopped to look back at her, “I need to get something to clean the blood off you before I can be close to you again.” 

Slowly, [Name] nodded in understanding and took the that moment to finally sit up. She knew she wouldn’t get a good look at herself since there were no mirrors in the bedroom, but just from what she could see by looking down at herself, she was right in assuming that she looked as though she’d been attacked. 

“Well, I’m definitely going to need to replace this bedding,” A grin spread on her face.

When Kuro returned with everything he needed, he noticed [Name] looking down at the bruises already blooming on her hips and around her thighs and waist. A part of him felt instant regret and shame, but then her eyes caught his and it halted any negative thoughts he had. 

[Name] was positively beaming, even though Kuro’d taken more than enough blood from her and how roughly he’d handled her despite it being her first time. 

He gave his head a shake and made his way over to her, “How do you feel?” 

“I feel great,” [Name] was grinning like an idiot, “A little light headed, but that might not only be from the blood.” 

Kuro tried not to frown when she mentioned feeling anything but ‘perfectly fine’, “I’m sorry for taking so much,” dipping a cloth into the bowl of water he brought with him, he wrung it out before gently cleaning [Name]’s neck, “I don’t know what came over me.” 

“It’s okay,” She closed her eyes and let him fuss over her without resisting, “Are you going to baby me now?” 

“Probably,” He replied honestly, “With the way I handled you, I’d be surprised if you don’t have trouble walking properly for the rest of the evening.” 

[Name]’s cheeks burned, “Is that a thing?” 

“I guess,” Kuro grabbed another cloth and finished cleaning her neck to assess his bite marks, “Want me to run you a bath?” 

“Will you join me?” [Name] looked at him, “I could use some company.” 

With a nod, Kuro smiled small at her and helped her to her feet, “Want me to carry you?” 

“I had my virginity taken, Kuro. I didn’t get maimed by a wild animal and left an invalid,” [Name] teased him, enjoying the rosy color his cheeks stained at her words, “No need to be shy now.” 

“I suppose you’re right,” Kuro wrapped his arm around her to pull her close to his side as he grabbed two large towels, leading her out of the room towards the bathroom, “I checked the time. Mahiru will be back in another three hours, but I can tell he’s somewhere close by now.” 

[Name] followed him and helped prepare a bath for the two of them, “That’s right, the connection would start to make you both feel like garbage after being separated for too long.” 

“We were worried that him being gone from the house for the day would cause problems, so while you were in school I went with him to run his errands further away from the apartment,” Kuro explained, “Once he was done with all of the important stops he needed to make, he brought me back here and said he was bringing his friends to a spot close to the building for a few hours.” 

[Name] smiled, “He’s so thoughtful and accommodating. I should do something special for him tonight to thank him for this.” 

“Like what?” He looked at her curiously, following her into the water as she sat down with her back against the wall.

With a smile, [Name] thought over a few ideas for a good meal and dessert she could do as thanks to Mahiru, “I could always make him his absolute favorite meal and dessert. I know he only makes it once a year because it’s a bit of a pain to gather everything needed, but I think this occasion calls for it.” 

Kuro wasn’t about to argue, considering [Name]’s cooking was some of the best he’d tasted in recent years, “You won’t catch me arguing.” 

“Of course not,” She grinned, reaching over to pinch his cheek gently. 

. . .

“So,” Mahiru grinned at Kuro, “Did you two have the chance to talk about that _private matter_ you were adamant about?”

Kuro’s brow twitched, “Yes.” 

“And?” 

His eyes focused anywhere but his Eve’s knowing face, “I don’t think this is the type of information I should be sharing with [Name]’s cousin of all people. Besides, you can sense when there’s a shift in energy, so obviously you know something happened.” 

“Well, I did feel a little weird at first but then it disappeared quick enough,” Mahiru crossed his arms over his chest, “Did you end up drinking her blood? I know you were worried about that happening.” 

Kuro nodded, reaching for a bag of chips to create a barrier between him and Mahiru, “I did, but I don’t know if that changes things. I don’t know of any of the others having drank from anyone but their Eve’s before.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” The brunette smiled, “Besides, you guys got your alone time and neither one of us felt any severe backlash from being a block away from each other for the evening, so I’d say that’s a victory in itself.”

“That may be true, but you boys should be more careful when you decide to separate,” [Name]’s voice pulled their attention, “Kuro told me before that it can get serious if you two are apart for long periods of time.” 

Mahiru grinned and gave her the thumbs up, “Don’t worry about me, [Name]! I feel great!” 

She smiled, “Good, now get ready for a feast!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo, how was that? I've been out of the intimate writings for a long time, so I feel a tad bit rusty. It's also hard to keep a character like Kuro in character during something like this, so give me a little slack, will ya's? ;) 
> 
> Like I said at the start of the chapter, the third and final installment will be released when I'm on my study break in two weeks! :)


	3. III - Engaging

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooo, I decided to add a little flavor to this. I have a hard time just writing mushy shit, so I put our dear reader in "danger" (I say that loosely considering what happens). 
> 
> Also, I hope I didn't make everyone too out of character. I was aiming to have several of our main Servamp pairs make an appearance at least, so I'm hoping it all works out in the end like I hope it's going to. 
> 
> As for Tsubaki, I hope I surprised a couple readers with what I ended up doing with his character, as well as keeping him true to his personality. Personally, I can't do a bang-on job with characters like him, but I tried because he's honestly one of my favorites in the series and I love him. Tsubaki doesn't have nearly enough love, and while Kuro is my number one, he's definitely a hard two ;) 
> 
> Not really any warnings for this chapter, although there are some violence and a lot of talking. To make up for the drama in this chapter, I've decided to add one (possibly two) more chapter(s) to this little series. If anyone is interested in me making this into a five-part miniseries, just let me know and I'll definitely consider it when I have time between university and my job. :)

“So, Ryusei, Koyuki, Sakuya, and I are going out tonight to eat,” Mahiru peeked into [Name]’s room, noticing Kuro was sprawled out on her bed with his arm covering his eyes while she finished putting her neatly folded laundry away, “Thought I’d let you know in case you had plans for supper tonight.”

[Name] looked at him and smiled, “It’s all good. You sure you’ll be alright?”

“I’ll be fine,” He looked to Kuro again, who looked to be in a deep sleep, “We’ve both been getting used to feeling a little sluggish when he stays here with you. I’ll be alright as long as I come back within a few hours.”

“Where are you boys headed?” [Name] smiled at him, “Not too far from the apartment complex?”

“Actually, we’re going to be a little farther than what we normally are,” Mahiru admitted, “We all decided to go to the arcade and then go sing karaoke downtown for a while. Like I said, I won’t be out that long. Maybe 9 PM?”

“Alright,” She frowned slightly, “Just be careful, okay? I don’t want you to be out there by yourself and run into that Tsubaki guy without Kuro being there.”  

Mahiru smiled, walking over to put his hand on [Name]’s shoulder, “I will, promise. And if anything happens, I’ll make sure to give him hell!”

“Mahiru...” Her frown deepened, “Don’t joke about this.”

“Sorry,” He grinned, giving her a quick hug, “I’ll let you know if anything happens.”

[Name] watched as Mahiru walked out of the room, turning to look back at Kuro when she heard the bedding move, “Are you sure you don’t want to go with him just in case? What if that Tsubaki guy is just as conniving as Misono made him out to be?”

“I'm going,” Kuro yawned, pushing himself off the bed before walking to her, “Are you still going out today?”

When Kuro’s arms wrapped around her, she smiled up at him, “Yeah. I’m going to visit Mikuni quickly to get some of that holy water Rosen told me about. I figured it would be good to carry some on me when I don’t have you as my bodyguard.”

“[Name],” Kuro frowned, “You shouldn’t be going anywhere like that by yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” She promised, reaching up to cup both sides of his face in her hands, “I already talked to Mikuni and he said he’s going to send Jeje to meet me halfway and be my escort.”

Kuro didn’t exactly like the idea of one of his siblings, no matter how much he trusted Doubt Doubt, to be the one in charge of his lover’s safety.

“Why don’t you wait until Mahiru and I come back?” Kuro tried to reason with her, “I’ll go with you to run your errands when we’re back.”

[Name] smiled, “You worry too much. Besides, how long has it been since you went with Mahiru and actually hung out with him? He is your Eve, after all,” She pulled him down to meet her halfway and kissed him gently, “I promise I’ll be fine.”

“You sound just like Mahiru,” Kuro sighed, pulling her close to his chest, “You call immediately if something is out of the ordinary, okay?”

[Name] closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth he was giving off, “I will.”

Kuro held her close and remained silent until he heard Mahiru shuffling near the entryway, sighing as he reluctantly let [Name] go, “I love you.” 

“Kuro...” She stared up at him in surprise before smiling, her cheeks stained red with each passing second, “I love you, too.”

He gave her a long kiss before finally letting go, walking past her to leave the room to go and join Mahiru, leaving her there to her thoughts.

[Name] felt a little stunned, considering Kuro had never told her that he loved her before now. She always knew she meant a lot to him, but hearing it... She felt as though she was floating.

With a grin, she quickly gathered her things and left the house with a hop in her step.

About ten minutes down the road, [Name] made it to the area where she would be meeting Jeje and looked around while she waited. After a few minutes, she frowned and looked down at her watch, curious if she got the right time.

“Huh,” She looked around again, “I wonder if Mikuni and I had a miscommunication?” With a giggle, she grinned to herself, “Wouldn’t put it past him, considering he is a little on the eccentric side.”

“Talking to yourself? I didn’t peg you the type,” A voice chuckled from behind her.

[Name] felt a chill run down her spine when she didn’t recognize the voice, and slowly she turned around to take a look at who was joining her. Again, she didn’t recognize the man looking from his phone to her.

“Can I help you?” [Name] asked politely, trying not to let the nervousness show on her features.

The man with surprisingly long red hair looked at her and smiled, “Oh, I’m here on an errand.”

[Name] took a step back when he approached her, readying herself to run in the other direction until she bumped into another person. At first, she felt a quick relief at the thought that it could be Jeje or even Mikuni, but when she looked up to see who it was, she recognized the tall male with pink hair as the street performer that hurt one of Mahiru’s friends a few weeks ago.

“Where do you think you’re going~?” He grinned down at her, “Tsu-Tsu wants to meet you, and I’d hate to disappoint him~”

 _Shit..._ Her eyes widened as the other man reached out to grab her with a gentle grip, “Don’t touch me.”

“Belkia, don’t scare the poor girl,” He chastised with a sigh, “Sorry, but you need to come with us. This will be much easier if you come willingly.”

 _Tsu-Tsu? He must mean Tsubaki._ [Name] contemplated screaming, considering there were several businesses very close to where they stood but then she wondered if the two would kill whoever tried to help her. In her pocket, her cellphone felt heavy as the temptation to try and call Mahiru rang in her mind, but she doubted they would give her the chance to even touch it.

“Can I ask why Tsubaki wants to see me?” [Name] tried to stall, hoping that Jeje would come out of nowhere soon, “I’m not involved in any of this vampire business.”

“On the contrary, Tsubaki wants to meet you because you’re Sloth’s lover,” The red-head stated, “So, be a good girl and come with us so we don’t have to call Tsubaki and have him come out here himself.”

[Name] shuddered at the thought of how dangerous it would be to try and get away from all three of them, knowing her chances were very limited.

“Well, I guess I was right to come and get you myself,” [Name] almost cried in relief when she heard Mikuni’s voice coming from behind them, “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

The two who cornered [Name] looked at Mikuni as he approached, “Who might you be?”

“Oh, nothing much,” He grinned, “Just a traveling antique dealer who needs to borrow that lovely lady there.”

“Well, it seems like we’re in a bit of a jam,” The red-head looked to Belkia, “You deal with this while I take her back to Tsubaki.”

“You be a good girl for Higan, then,” Belkia handed [Name] off to the man named Higan with a smirk before he turned to Mikuni, who was watching the pinkette with narrowed, calculating eyes, “Are you ready for a magic show, antique dealer~?”

Mikuni grinned, “Jeje, would you mind removing [Name] from that man’s hold?”

Suddenly, [Name] was jostled around as Higan jumped to avoid one of Jeje’s attacks, “Wow, that was close!” He blinked and watched as Jeje aimed two guns at him from under his sleeves, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Higan moved [Name] so she was in front of him, making it difficult for Jeje to prepare a good shot. Off to the side, Belkia was now trying to catch Mikuni, who always seemed to precisely avoid each, and every attack aimed for him, further angering the pink-haired vampire.

“Let the girl go,” Came Jeje’s muffled, low voice.

Higan smiled, “Sorry, but orders are orders.” 

Deciding to try and put up a fight now that her allies were there, [Name] struggled against Higan’s hold and managed to slip one arm from his grip. He blinked, looking down at her as she tried to lunge forward, but he quickly brought her back with a sharp pull. She caught herself momentarily when she felt a sharp jab at the back of her head, and suddenly her vision went blurry as she watched Jeje’s form in front of her slowly get darker and darker.

“Mikuni... Jeje...” Her voice was as quiet as a whisper, “Get Kuro.”

As she got the words out, everything went black.

. . .

[Name] slowly woke up from her heavy sleep when she heard what sounded like footsteps approaching her, and slowly her eyelids opened. She was still very tired, and her entire body felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds. Shifting as much as she could, the fatigue was beginning to finally wear off the more she moved and the tighter her arms seemed to get. Blinking a few times to adjust her eyes to the darkness of the room she was in, she looked down to see that her wrists were bound tightly, as were her ankles.

“What the...” She moved pushed herself back until she was as tight against the wall behind her as she could be and finally looked around the room, “Where am I?”

From what she could tell, there was no furniture in the room aside from the large cushion she sat on, and only a small skylight was her means of light. There was one door to the room that was across the room from her but from what she could tell it was a specialty door that only opened from the outside. 

Feeling dread begin to pool in her stomach, [Name] frantically looked over herself to see if there was any bruising or signs of assault. When she couldn’t find any, she took a deep breath and continued observing the room.

“So, you’re awake,” A male voice pulled her attention towards one of the corners of the room.

[Name]’s spine went rigid, “Who’s there?”

“I’m shocked you don’t recognize my voice,” He chuckled.

She heard footsteps approaching and the closer he got to the light, the more recognizable the silhouette was, “Sakuya?”

“Bingo,” Sakuya stepped into the tiny bit of light and smiled down at her, “I’ve been instructed to keep you company until the others show up.”

[Name] frowned, “What do you mean? What is all of this?”

“Tsubaki sent Higan and Belkia to go and collect you two days ago,” Sakuya closed the distance, reaching for what looked like a chair from the other corner of the room before sitting down in front of her, “Said that one of the Servamps and his Eve showed up and gave Belkia a hard time.”

“What do you mean I was captured? Where are we?” [Name] stared at him as he told her about the Servamp being there, and suddenly remembered she was supposed to meet Jeje around the time she blacked out, “You mean Jeje? Oh, my god is Mikuni okay?!”

“He’s fine, I guess,” Sakuya sighed, “As for why you’re here... It’s a long story, but to be brief, I was turned into a vampire by Tsubaki a few years ago and ever since then I’ve been doing what he asks. Since you came to Japan and have been staying with Mahiru and that vampire Sloth, we’ve been patiently waiting for him to let you out of his sight.”

“Why?”

“Tsubaki wants to lure him here so he can kill him,” Sakuya looked up to the ceiling, “He knows that the other Servamps will follow, too.”

[Name]’s eyes widened, “The hell, Sakuya! How could you help them with this?”

“I’m Tsubaki’s subclass, so I do as I’m told,” Came the rehearsed reply, “As long as you stay quiet and don’t cause any hassle, you’ll be safe.”

“I’m not going to let you all use me to lure Kuro here!” [Name] struggled to free her hands, “Please, Sakuya... Please help me.”

He watched her and frowned, “I can’t, I’m sorry.”

“Then, at least give me a chance to talk to Mahiru,” [Name] pleaded, “Please.”

Sakuya’s frown deepened, “[Name]...”

“Please, I'm begging you,” Her eyes watered, “He only has me right now. Let me talk to him just for a few minutes.”

There was a moment’s hesitation before Sakuya sighed deeply, looking around to the upper corners of the room before digging into his pocket, “Make it quick. Don’t tell him what’s going on or you’ll get hurt.”

[Name] nodded quickly, watching as he dialed the number and handed the phone to her. She held it tightly in her hands and lifted it to her ear, listening to the ringing while silently praying Mahiru would pick up.

When he did, [Name] almost cried out in relief to know he was safe, “Mahiru.”

“ _[Name]? Where the hell are you, and why are you using Sakuya’s phone?_ ”

“Listen to me,” She ignored the warning look Sakuya was giving her, “You need to stay away, okay? Don’t try to come and find me.”

“ _But, [Name]! Kuro and I are worried sick!_ ”

“I know,” She smiled small, “I’m so sorry to worry you both, but you need to listen to me.”

She heard shuffling and what sounded like Mahiru protesting as Kuro’s worried voice suddenly filled her ears, “ _[Name], where the hell have you been? Tell me and I'll come and get you.”_

“I... can’t tell you,” [Name] felt incredibly guilty, “Just, don’t come.”

“ _Why? What happened to you? Are you hurt?_ ”

She paused, looking at Sakuya. He was stretching back against the chair and closed his eyes. As he stretched again and yawned, [Name] inhaled deeply and prepared herself for the backlash she would face.

“It’s a trap,” [Name] hissed out before Sakuya was finished yawning, “Don’t come and find me because Tsubaki is using me to get to you so he can kill you!”

Sakuya snapped out of his stupor quickly and scrambled off the chair, “Damn it, [Name]!” She let him take the phone from her, not resisting as he turned it off and pocketed it, “I told you not to do that.”

“Do what you want to me, but I’m not letting you or your people hurt Mahiru or Kuro,” [Name] stared up at him, “I love them, and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure they don’t get involved in whatever it is Tsubaki has in store for them.”

Sakuya clicked his tongue, “Damn it,” He ran his hand over his hair as he turned around muttering angrily to himself, “[Name], I wish you had just listened to me.”

. . .

On the other end, Kuro stared at the phone in his hand the second the dial tone sounded off. His eyes were wide, and his pupils narrowed as if he’d witnessed something frightening. Mahiru, who was standing beside him waiting for any news, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.

“Kuro snap out of it! What the hell did she say?!” Mahiru yelled at him, trying to get his attention.

Off to the side, Misono and Tetsu watched concernedly, “Shirota?”

“Something’s happened to [Name],” Mahiru looked at the two before looking to Kuro, “Where is she, Kuro?”

“Tsubaki has her,” His voice was a low, dangerous growl, “He’s using her to set a trap.”

Mahiru went wide-eyed, “The hell? How did he get her?!”

“Shirota!” Misono stood up, “Calm down. If we’re going to get your cousin, then we need to think about this first. You said she was using Sakuya’s phone? Well, we can track the call back to that phone and find out where she is.”

“Do it,” Kuro’s eyes snapped over to Misono, “Find out where she is.”

Misono narrowed his eyes, “What exactly is she to you?”

“About that,” Mahiru felt everyone’s eyes on him, “[Name] might be my cousin, but she and Kuro are lovers.”

Both Hugh and Lily looked to Kuro, “Is this true? You have a lover?”

Kuro nodded, “Yes, now let’s focus on finding her.”

“Sleepy Ash, if she’s your lover, you should be able to track her down,” Hugh stated, “Greed and Wrath both had human lovers, and I know for a fact that Wrath was able to track her human mate down wherever he went when they were separated.”

Kuro turned to Hugh, “How did she do it?” 

“Did you mark her?” Hugh asked, causing Misono, Mahiru, and Tetsu to blush at the insinuation.

Nodding, Kuro closed his eyes and imagined the mark he unintentionally made on her shoulder when he bit down on her harder than he should have the day he took her virginity, “Yeah, I did by accident.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you did, because you may be able to find her with that. Wrath told me a little bit of what the experience was like, but obviously, I have no experience with this myself,” Hugh hopped off Tetsu’s lap and walked towards him, “Try to concentrate.” 

Hesitating, Kuro closed his eyes again and focused on that moment again. He could see her flushed face and her mouth gaped open in a silent gasp. He could see every detail in the way her lashes fluttered as he slid himself deep inside of her to tickle the one spot that made her toes curl. Then, his eyes settled on the mark he made accidentally when his fangs were seated deep in her flesh. He remembered how tight she was around him and the instant reaction it was for him to bite her, but he didn’t mean to lock his jaw and almost tear her open.

Little did he know that was the key to marking [Name] for the rest of her life.

The longer he focused on the mark, the warmer he started feeling. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open as his body began to pulsate.

“I can sense her,” Kuro turned on his heel, “Come on Mahiru.”

“Kuro, wait!” Mahiru rushed to the door as he looked back at everyone, “Stay here, guys. I’ll let you know when we get there.”

“Like hell, we’re not waiting here,” Tetsu shot up and grabbed his coffin, “Come on, Hugh.”

He scooped up the tiny vampire, following Mahiru closely as Misono and Lily also got up to join them.

. . .

Higan, Belkia, and Tsubaki stood beside Sakuya as they stared down at [Name], each wondering what they were going to do with her.

“Sakuya, I’m not mad,” Tsubaki looked at his subclass to chastise him, “However, next time I think I’ll let Higan take care of our hostage.”

Sakuya rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from Tsubaki, “Yeah, whatever.”

With a grin, Tsubaki turned to look down at [Name], “Want to tell me why you’re so adamant on being a naughty hostage?”

[Name] met Tsubaki’s eyes, “I won’t let you kill Kuro or any of the others.”

“Hmm, well that may be a problem,” Tsubaki sighed dramatically, “Higan, bring her with us. I think she needs to experience our hospitality, so she chooses to be a good hostage.”

Higan stepped forward, “Alright,” He reached down to grab [Name] gently, using his flames to snap the bind around her ankles before pulling her to her feet, “Let’s get you some fresh air.”

[Name] reluctantly followed, letting Higan guide her out of her temporary cell as they followed behind Tsubaki. It surprised her to see that they were in what looked to be a hotel, as she was led down a hall passed many doors. She looked out the windows to see that it was a beautiful day, yearning to be on the outside with her lover in his cat form snuggled in her arms. She could almost picture herself sitting out on the balcony with a fresh cup of tea and Kuro sleeping peacefully all curled up on her lap, but that thought was quickly disrupted as she was directed towards another door. 

“What do you prefer, [Name]?” Higan pulled her into a room where the rest of who she assumed was Tsubaki’s subclasses sat, “Tea or coffee?”

[Name] looked at him, “Tea.”

Otogiri was the first to react, going to the kitchen area to prepare a cup of herbal tea for [Name], “Milk or cream?”

“Milk, please,” [Name] said hesitantly, watching her before looking to Tsubaki, who sat beside her and prepared his pieces for another round of mahjong, “Why are you doing this?”

“I told you, didn’t I?” He smiled, distributing pieces for her to play as well, “You play nice, and I will play nice. Simple, isn’t it?" 

She nodded slowly, watching as he set all the pieces in front of her, followed by the cup of tea that Otogiri set down in front of her. She looked around, noticing that all of his subclasses went to their respective seats and readied themselves to play the game.

“Do you gamble, [Name]?” Shamrock eyed her, “We play for points.”

[Name] shook her head, “I was too busy with studies to play games.”

“It’s simple, really,” Tsubaki grinned, “Oh, Sakuya? Do you mind releasing her restraints? She can’t participate while her hands are bound.”

Sakuya, who was seated on the windowsill across the room, looked over to the group and got up. He said nothing even after he crossed the distance, using a knife hidden in his clothing to free [Name]’s hands before returning to his spot at the window.

She couldn’t help but notice the troubled look in his eyes like he was in the middle of an internal debate. She felt bad for him, wondering what he was going to do if Kuro and Mahiru came for her. Would he have to fight them? She wouldn’t put it past Tsubaki to have him try and separate Mahiru from Kuro.

As the game started, [Name] was surprised to find that Tsubaki was helping her along the way. He made moves for her, gave her hints on what to do, and even inadvertently won a game for her that made Shamrock almost throw the table across the room.

“Now, now, Shamrock,” Tsubaki tutted with a smile, “Don’t be a sore loser. What kind of impression are you trying to put on [Name] of us?”

Shamrock clenched his fist tightly, “My apologies, young master. I’ll try to hold my emotions.”

“I said not to call me that,” Tsubaki sighed, “Otogiri, it’s your turn to start.”

As the day went on, [Name] was surprised to find herself relaxing in their presence. She had to constantly remind herself that it was Tsubaki and his subclasses that she was sitting beside, rather than let herself be whisked into the false sense of security she figured Tsubaki was hoping she would fall into.

They continued their game until the evening, when [Name] was asked if she wanted to join them for dinner. She didn’t have much choice, choosing only to nod in agreement and watched as Belkia and Higan left to go and get ingredients written on a list by Otogiri.

“[Name]~” Tsubaki turned to her, noticing she was staring out the window, “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

[Name] looked to Tsubaki and smiled small, “I was just thinking.”

“Penny for your thought?” He grinned, leaning into her personal space.

She tried not to be bothered by how close he was, “I know you plan on trying to kill the other Servamps, and it bothers me that you’re trying to use me to lure them here.”

Tsubaki blinked before glancing over to where Sakuya sat, “I see,” He focused on [Name] again, “Sakuya must have let too much spill when you were in the other room. While it’s true that my intentions are to use you as bait, it’s only because going to hunt them on my own would be so boring.”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, “This isn’t a game, Tsubaki. You’re talking about people’s lives.”

“And what are people’s lives?” He grinned, standing up as he wrapped his hand around her arm to coax her up with him, “Come with me for a moment.”

[Name]’s mind began to race at what Tsubaki was about to do, having no choice but to follow him as he still gripped her arm while leading her up to an elevator. When they walked in, he remained silent as he pressed the button for the top floor and lead them out when they reached their destination.

“Where are we going?” [Name] asked him cautiously.

Tsubaki was grinning, “I want to show you something.”

She tried to keep her breathing and her heart rate leveled while the fear that he may kill her crept up the back of her neck. [Name] could feel his eyes on her even when his attention was focused on their final destination and it completely unnerved her.

“Tell me about yourself, [Name],” Tsubaki asked her, “ _Tell me a story_. Something interesting about you.” 

[Name] looked up at him, not sure if he wanted a life story or for her to tell him about her time in Japan, “What specifically?”

“How about you start with your life outside of Japan,” He grinned at her, “Before you got caught up in this vampire business~”

She nodded slowly, “Okay.”

When she looked around, she noticed Tsubaki had brought her to the very top of the building, as they were now standing outside on the roof and enjoying the cool breeze of the evening. 

“When I was in middle school, I had exceptional marks but not a lot of friends,” [Name] tried to dumb herself down as to not seem like anything special despite being top-tier in her class, “My family opted to have me go to a foreign college, so I could get cultured and have a better chance of getting a degree, so that’s what I did.”

“I see,” Tsubaki watched [Name] closely, “What did you study?”

She didn’t hide the surprise from her face when he urged her to continue, “Anthropology and classics. Not a conventional mix, but it was what I enjoyed.”

Tsubaki grinned, “So, did you read about monsters?”

“You could say that,” [Name] looked out to the city, enjoying the lights that almost seemed like stars from where they were, “When I decided to come home for a year, I called Mahiru and we talked about what I was studying. I think it was then that he tried to inconspicuously hint that he was living with a vampire.”

Tsubaki watched her closely, noticing the calm smile that spread on her face, “Do you regret it?”

“What?” She looked up at him.

“Do you regret coming home?”

[Name] shook her head, “No, not at all. I love Mahiru, and I love Kuro. I’ve made a lot of new friends, and I’m so close to finishing my degree that it seems like all of the pieces are finally coming together.”

“But?” He grinned, leaning down to look her in the eyes, “Something’s missing, right? I wonder what it could be~”

[Name] frowned up at him, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“What happens when you grow old and Sleepy Ash loses interest?” Tsubaki teased, “You may not know but, big brother has no subclass and doesn’t plan on turning anyone. I wonder what he’ll do then? You'll grow up and work at your dream job, experiencing all of the joys in life that come with aging and wanting to build a family, but _he_ won't. He'll be young forever, and he can't offer you the family that you may want.”

She felt her heart stop, wondering if Tsubaki was saying these things to get some sort of twisted sense of satisfaction as his words brought her anxiety. He didn't seem the type to spout words without a reason, so why urge her to have doubts about her's and Kuro's relationship? Why bring up her mortality? 

Her eyes widened as he started circling her, making her mind race again at the many things that he could do to her up on the roof. Would he kill her here? No one would hear her if she screamed out for help, and there was no way he’d let her get far enough away from him to either rush back inside or make the ultimate choice to leap off the roof. Even then, she wondered if Tsubaki would jump after her, seeing as how she seemed to be important to his plans.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on him as a risky thought crossed her mind.

Tsubaki watched her in amusement, enjoying the many emotions passing in her eyes. He grinned, wondering if the fretting on what he might do to her would cause her to go insane soon.

“Tsubaki,” [Name] inhaled deeply, “If I asked you something specific, would you tell me?”

He blinked, watching her as he stopped circling around her and stared at the back of her head, “I suppose. What would you like to know?”

She suddenly pulled out a beautiful silver necklace that held two silver fox and rabbit charms on it, whipping around to him and throwing it on him before he could react. In the process of slinging the chain over his neck, she managed to catch her wrist on one of his fangs when he gaped at her. When she saw him reflexively lick the blood off his fang, it felt as though she signed her soul to the devil.

Tsubaki’s eyes widened slightly, with a mix of surprise and more amusement as the silver chain settled around the base of his neck, “I see,” He grinned, “Think a contract will solve your problems?”

“Tsubaki,” She said his name out loud, and it surprised both of them when a red energy started circling his neck and her wrist with the use of his original given name, “If this is the only way to protect my family, then I’ll do anything to see to it that no one hurts them.”

He tilted his head, “Oh? And what’s to stop me from killing you?”

[Name] looked at the chain that connected them and backed away from him as he eyes her with a crazy expression. _Shit, shit, shit!_ _I didn’t think that far! Kuro never told me if Servamps could intentionally hurt their Eves or not!_

“I’ll give you this, [Name],” He was grinning as he watched her, “I’m surprised that you, the timid and quiet young lady that was brought here to lure my siblings to me, would make such a bold move. It’s highly amusing~”

She blinked as Tsubaki’s head shot back as he let out a loud fit of laughter, “How is this situation funny to you?”

“You’re more charming than I thought,” He was suddenly directly in front of her, only inches away from touching her with his body as he crowded her personal space, “I’ll entertain you for a while with this contract, but only to see the looks on your loved ones faces when they see that you can no longer be separated from me. It will make for a very entertaining sight, indeed~”

[Name] couldn’t help but glare, “Don’t you dare gloat! I’m not exactly thrilled to be chained to you, either!”

Tsubaki grinned, “Well, too late to change your mind now~”

[Name] yelped when Tsubaki suddenly scooped her up and walked them back inside, not stopping until they were back in the main hotel room that everyone else was in despite her struggling hard to get out of his grip. All eyes were on them when Tsubaki set her down on her feet.

“Young master,” Shamrock stood up, “She didn’t try to escape, did she?”

Tsubaki sighed, “I told you not to call me that.”

“Tsu-Tsu, what’s that?” Belkia pointed to the chain around his neck.

Tsubaki grinned, finally realizing the irony of her choice of ‘collar’, “This was a gift from our dear [Name].”

Everyone stared, letting the realization sink before raged outbursts filled the room.

“Is it true?!” Shamrock was stood up from his seat so fast that he caused the chair to fly back, “You’re in a contract with this human?!”

Belkia pointed directly at [Name], “You little witch!”

“Now, now,” Tsubaki grinned, wrapping his arm around [Name]’s shoulders to pull her close despite her protest, “Let’s not treat our new family member with hate. Besides, this means that my siblings can’t attack us recklessly. Think of her as a barrier between us now.”

[Name] stared up at Tsubaki, still nervous that he would try to kill her now that she forced him into a contract. She definitely didn't trust him and knew that she would have no allies if he did make an attempt at her life.

Sakuya, who had been watching the entire scene, stared at her with wide eyes. Using the commotion of his master actually letting himself be coerced into a contract for whatever reason, he slipped out and managed to gather his thoughts before pulling out his phone.

. . .

“Alright guys, we need to think about this before we just rush in,” Misono frowned, looking up at the hotel, “Without the Greed pair here tonight, we’re down two strong allies.”

“What about Mikuni?” Mahiru looked to Misono, “Is he coming?”

Misono glared, “No, he’s not. He doesn’t know we’re doing this.”

“But if he was there that day–”

“We can do this without him!” Misono focused on the building, when suddenly light on the roof caught his attention, “What’s that?”

All eyes were on the roof as a dark red light flared momentarily before disappearing. At closer inspection, one could say they saw a chain lift above the red light before it also disappeared.

"I don't like the looks of this," Hugh, who was propped on Tetsu’s shoulder, narrowed his eyes and pointed his cane, “That looks like Tsubaki’s power.”

“That also looked like the brief flash of chains with a newly developed contract,” Lily said with a frown, “You don’t think [Name] would find a way to force Tsubaki to make a contract with her, do you?”

Mahiru looked at Lily, “She wouldn’t be able to. Tsubaki would kill her before she got the chance."

“Not necessarily,” Kuro narrowed his eyes at the roof, “If she made a deal with him, he may have agreed to a contract in order for her to keep us all safe.”

Looking to Kuro, Mahiru didn’t like how accurate Kuro’s statement was, “You don’t think she would actually do that, do you?”

“If she wants to keep you and Kuro away from Tsubaki, she might,” Misono looked to Mahiru.

Tetsu watched them, “So then, what do we do? We can't fight Tsubaki without hurting [Name] now, can we?"

“If she was actually able to make a contract with Tsubaki, then there’s a chance she can convince him to stand down, which means his subclasses won't be ordered to attack us,” Misono addressed them all before looking at Kuro, “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to get [Name] back,” Kuro pulled his hands from his pockets, "Contract be damned." 

Mahiru was about to follow Kuro when his ringtone echoed around them, drawing everyone’s attention, “That might be Licht. I messaged him to tell him where we were earlier, so he maybe he changed his mind?”

Misono watched as Mahiru checked who was calling, and narrowed his eyes at the shocked expression on his face, “Mahiru?”

“It’s Sakuya,” Quickly accepting the call, he turned to look up at the building, “What’s going on?”

“ _Mahiru,_ ” Sakuya’s voice sounded strained, “ _You should know that [Name] made a contract with Tsubaki, and he doesn’t plan on letting her go anytime soon. They’re expecting you to show up, so just be careful when you get up here._ ”

When the line went dead, Mahiru stared at his phone with a frown, “You guys were right. She actually managed to do it, and by the sounds of it, he hasn't tried to hurt her.”

“Now what? How do we separate them, so we can take down Tsubaki?”

“I don’t know, but we can’t expect to separate them unless he wants her to feel the backlash of being past the normal distance,” Misono cupped his chin with his fingers and thought for a moment, “Mahiru, if you and Kuro can get up there, do you have any plans to take Tsubaki on?”

Mahiru frowned, looking to Kuro, who had started walking towards the building with his eyes covered by his light-blue fringe. He could feel the darkness inside Kuro stirring as a result of the current situation, and while it didn’t frighten him anymore when the darkness flared, he knew Kuro wasn’t going to be easily persuaded to sit back while they planned.

“We’ll go in and confront them directly,” Mahiru turned to Misono, “You and Tetsu try to deal with any subclass for now, and when we figure things out, we’ll help you.”

Tetsu nodded while Misono opened his mouth to protest, but Mahiru was already racing after Kuro to catch up to him.

. . .

“It seems big brother has decided to come and pay us a visit~ Why don’t you all go greet them?” Tsubaki grinned to his subclasses, who all got up and left to go find Mahiru’s group before turning to [Name], “Aren’t you excited? Your beloved Sleepy Ash and cousin are on their way.”

[Name] didn’t answer him, only looking out the window to see Mahiru chasing after him. Even without being connected to Kuro like her cousin was, she could still see darkness following him and wondered if that’s what he warned her about before. Just the thought of how powerful he might be made a shiver run down her spine, both in fear and excitement. 

“Are you going to attack them when they make their way up here?” [Name] looked at Tsubaki.

He watched her, still grinning as she turned to face him, “You want the truth?”

“Yes." 

“Well,” He looked out the window, “It’s my mission to eliminate my siblings, and as many humans as possible.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly, “I take it that includes me?”

Tsubaki grinned at her, “ _You did_ force me into a contract, so I suppose that means that I’m still debating it. If you and I can find some common ground, which I doubt, then maybe I’ll consider keeping you around for a while.”

“So, you plan on keeping me from everyone?”

“Depends,” He was still grinning, “You chose to do this to protect them, no? Well, I’m simply helping you deal with your consequences~” He was suddenly in front of her again, “That reminds me...”

[Name] went wide-eyed when Tsubaki gripped her arm and pulled her flush against him, “W-What are you doing?”

“I’m a bit thirsty is all,” He leaned down as he pulled her sleeve to the side, “Would you rather I take from your wrist, my lovely Eve?”

[Name] was finding it hard to keep up with the constant mood swings he seemed to be going through, but this was directly her fault. She chose to put the lives of everyone else before her own, and in doing so, she was chained to the monster Kuro, Mahiru, and his friends were trying to find and defeat. Not to mention the fact that Mahiru and the other Eve's told her that their Servamps were only supposed to drink blood from them, so now she couldn't stop Tsubaki from drinking from her even if she wanted to, as she doubted he would take 'no' for an answer. 

“Not voicing an opinion, huh? Does that mean you're starting to regret your decision?” He glanced at her with amusement in his eyes, pressing his mouth against her neck, “Huh?” Tsubaki pulled back only to see that he’d found Kuro’s mark, “Oh, I see.”

[Name] blushed and tried to pull away from him, “Let go, Tsubaki.”

“Wrist it is then,” He sighed dramatically, slipping his hand down her arm to grip her wrist instead as he pulled it up to his mouth, not giving her the chance to react as he sank his fangs into her flesh.

Unlike the pleasurable feeling that accompanied Kuro’s bites when they made love, Tsubaki’s bite hurt. _A lot_. It felt like a burning scratch that continued to sting mercilessly, and the longer he sucked on the open wound the more it began to painfully ache.

Pulling back, Tsubaki eyed her carefully, “What’s the matter? Not as nice as when big brother does it?”

“...” [Name] looked away from him with her cheeks reddening, trying to not associate the bite as something intimate considering Tsubaki most likely never experienced the type of emotions she felt for Kuro, “Are you satisfied now?”

“For now,” He finally released her wrist, watching as she clutched her hands close to her chest, “Let’s go and meet _our_ family, [Name]~”

She blinked, watching him turn around to walk towards the door, “You’re going to let me see them?”

“Of course,” He smirked before laughing loudly, “They need to see that we belong to each other now!”

Dread pooled in her stomach and made her wonder if Kuro fought Tsubaki if any damage done to him would affect her. If it did, Tsubaki might actually succeed in killing Kuro as she doubted he would fight back in fear of wounding her too.

[Name] chased after him as he briskly made his way down the hall. She was almost caught up to him when he came to an abrupt halt, looking over his shoulder to eye her carefully.

“How did you know?” She felt her stomach drop when his eyes narrowed.

“Know what?”

Tsubaki held her stare, “The fox charm.”

“What about it?” She frowned.

“My animal form is a fox,” He revealed, using a finger to lift the chain up and dangle the two charms so she could see them, “Very intriguing that this of all things would be what you ended up giving to me. And with a little bunny charm, too? Seems fitting, considering the situation you've put yourself in.”

[Name] watched him closely, not missing the mischievous glint in his eye as he turned around and continued his fast pace towards the spot where everyone would be. She felt the irony of the situation, with Tsubaki implying that she was the rabbit in this situation.

“Come on, [Name]~” Tsubaki called over his shoulder to her, “Or, would you rather I carry you?”

“No!” She said quickly, picking up her pace as she followed behind him.

The echo of his daunting laughter was all that was heard as they continued their way down the hall, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of his _geta_ *.

. . .

Belkia grinned wildly as Lily continued to dodge his multiple attacks, “What’s the matter, Lust? Getting tired~?”

“Of course not,” He landed in front of Misono as he stared at Belkia, Otogiri, Shamrock, and Higan, “We may need to let Pride and Tetsu handle the close combatants.”

Misono was almost at his wit's end by now, until an explosion caught everyone’s attention, “What the hell was that?!”

“I’d say we have some uninvited guests coming up to see us,” Higan looked to his companions, “I’ll be back shortly. Surely you can take care of the two weaker Servamps, right?”

Hugh smirked, “Who are you calling weak? I'm the strongest among my siblings and will take you all out by myself.”

Using his ability, he and Tetsu got to work and began fighting as Shamrock and Belkia dueled against them. Off to the side, Otogiri was attempting to string Misono up in order to goad Lily on.

Down the hall from them stood Mahiru and a very aggravated Kuro, who was now staring at Higan as he blocked their way with a smile.

“Welcome,” Higan pulled out his smokes, “You’re here for Tsubaki’s Eve, I take it?”

Kuro narrowed his eyes, “Don’t call her that.”

“But it’s true,” Higan chuckled as he reached for his lighter, only to find it missing and began frantically patting his body down to find it, “Crap! Where the heck did that go?”

Mahiru glared, “You tell us where [Name] is right now, or we go through you!”

“How scary,” Higan looked at him with a grin, “If you keep frowning like that kid, you’ll end up looking older than me much faster than you’d like.”

Mahiru stepped forward with his fist clenched in front of him, “Last chance, Higan.”

“Or what?” He looked to Kuro, whose emotions Higan couldn’t quite place, “You two will kill me? I’m sorry, but you two don’t have the strength to do that.”

“They might not, but I do.”

Mahiru and Kuro looked back to see Licht walking up, followed by a grinning Lawless, “You guys came!”

“Well, after we got your message we got a call from that creepy antique dealer,” Lawless smirked, making his sword appear as Licht’s boots began glowing their signature deep purple, “So, Angel Babes and I decided to come and save your asses. Lucky we made it here in time before Envy and his creep of an Eve got to you first.”

“Call me that one more time, and I’ll kill you,” Licht glared as he looked to Higan, “Who else is here?”

"Everyone," Mahiru took a deep breath as he addressed Licht and Lawless, “You should know... [Name] made a contract with Tsubaki.”

The two turned to look at Mahiru with wide eyes, “What?”

“We think she made some sort of deal with him-” Mahiru explained, only to be cut off by Higan's chuckling.

“You couldn’t be more wrong,” Higan looked at the four with a grin, “You could say she got the drop on poor Tsubaki. She’s quite the brave little girl, you know. Slapped a collar on Tsubaki and said his name out loud without considering her consequences.”

Kuro narrowed his eyes, “Where are they?”

When Higan chose to inhale a drag off his smoke instead of answering him, Lawless and Licht suddenly rushed forward to attack. The two caught Higan off guard for merely a second before he started fighting back.

“Get going!” Licht dropped to the ground, landing on his feet roughly to avoid an attack meant to kill him.

Mahiru watched them before grabbing Kuro and dragging him past the fight, managing to get by Higan with the Greed pair to distract him.

Kuro suddenly pulled them to a stop as soon as they reached a stairwell, “They’re coming.”

“You hear them?” Mahiru looked to Kuro with wide eyes.

“No,” Kuro closed his eyes, “I can sense [Name].”

It took only moments before the clicking sounds coming from Tsubaki’s _geta_ echoed around the halls. The two narrowed their eyes and waited for him to show himself.

“It’s so nice to see you, big brother~” Tsubaki came into view with a grin, “Are you here to retrieve something?” 

[Name] popped into view next, stopping beside Tsubaki as she tried to catch her breath, “Damn it, you could have slowed down!” She glared up at him before looking in the direction that held his attention and gaped, “Kuro! Mahiru!”

As she stepped forward, Tsubaki caught her by the back of her shirt to pull her to a stop, “I don’t think so,” He grinned at her pleading look, “You didn’t think I was going to let you hand yourself over, did you?"

He suddenly threw his head back and laughed, still holding onto her clothing as she stared up at him.

“Let her go, Tsubaki!” Mahiru pointed at the youngest Servamp, “She’s not involved in this! You wanted Kuro and me, so here we are!”

“Oh,” Tsubaki looked at him with a bored look as he fiddled with his chain, “You’re entirely wrong, kid. [Name] is very much involved now that we’re quite literally chained together,” Reaching down, Tsubaki further enticed the Sloth pair to fight when he lifted [Name]’s wrist to show his still-fresh bite mark, “See?”

The intense energy wafting off Kuro now was suffocating, even Mahiru had to take a step back. He didn’t even look at [Name], not wanting to make eye contact with her to show her the aggression that was building.

“Give her back,” Kuro ground out. 

Tsubaki smirked, “Going to take her from me? You know there are only two ways to nullify a Servamp’s contract, brother, and as of right now I’m enjoying her company,” When he saw the flash of anger cross Kuro’s features he laughed, “Wow, so scary~”

[Name] finally pulled away from Tsubaki and looked at him, “This needs to stop right now.” 

“Since when are you so authoritative?” Tsubaki watched her in amusement.

"Since this is my cousin and my boyfriend we’re talking about!”

Tsubaki’s grin stretched wider, “Finally getting mad? I can feel all of your emotions, you know~”

“[Name], you need to calm down,” Mahiru stepped forward, “Servamps feed off their Eve’s emotions and it amplifies their power!”

" _Shut up!_ " [Name] pointed to Mahiru, "You should have listened to me and stayed away! I could have handled this on my own!" Turning to Tsubaki, she felt the anger rise as the grin on his face continued to grow, "And  _you_ , I don't know what it is you think you're doing, but it ends now." 

Kuro watched as she squared off in front of Tsubaki, not backing down as he leaned forward to make eye contact with her, "Mahiru, get ready to fight." 

"Mm," Mahiru nodded, not taking his eyes off his cousin.

"You're quickly becoming boring, [Name]," Tsubaki narrowed his eyes slightly.

She still held her ground, "And you need to listen to me. I'm not going to let you hurt either of them."

"How do you plan on stopping me?" He grinned suddenly, "You know a Servamp can kill their Eve, right? Sleepy Ash isn't nearly mad enough to take on his true form and attack, and even then, he isn't strong enough to kill me." 

"If you won't consider resolving this peacefully, then let me help you break out of this cycle of vengeance," [Name] suddenly held her hand out, pushing all feelings of anger and hostility aside as she stared up at Tsubaki.

Both Mahiru and Kuro went wide-eyed, "[Name], what are you doing?!"

"I'll help you for as long as it takes," [Name] ignored Mahiru and Kuro's protests, not breaking eye contact with Tsubaki, who was giving her a doubtful look as he stared down at her, "Something must have happened to cause all of this hostility between you and the other Servamps, so let me help you work through it without violence." 

Tsubaki suddenly laughed, "Oh, really?! How is it you plan to help when you don't even know the story?"

"Then tell me," She grabbed his hand, watching as he froze mid-laugh to look at her, "I'll listen, and we'll get through this." 

Kuro, who had been watching silently, wondered what it was that she was planning to do. True, he knew [Name] was like Mahiru and had a bleeding heart for those they wished to help, but for her to go to such lengths already to ensure their safety against a vampire who had already killed hundreds of people... He didn't understand why she chose to put herself in so much danger. 

"[Name]..." Kuro frowned, clenching his fists at his sides as he watched Tsubaki blinked twice, considering her as she stared up at him with resolve.

Mahiru was also confused, but also concerned for [Name]'s well-being, "[Name], do you know what you're doing?" 

"I do," She answered, not looking away from Tsubaki, "I'm his Eve now, and it's my duty to get to know him, and an extension to that, is to also help him get past whatever it is that's bothering him," She finally turned and gave Kuro and Mahiru a sad smile, "I'm sorry for worrying you both."

"You don't have to do this," Kuro took a step forward, trying to reason with her as he felt his insides clench at the thought of being separated from her again.

"He's right," Mahiru frowned, looking to Tsubaki, "You both can come with us, and we can all figure this out. Maybe we can all help resolve this so no one else has to die." 

[Name] smiled small at Mahiru's consideration, turning to Tsubaki to see him narrowing his eyes at her cousin, "We want to help understand you, Tsubaki. You just need to give us the chance." 

"So boring," Came the droll reply, causing [Name] to tense up as he suddenly pulled his hand from hers to grip her wrist, "You guys aren't entertaining at all and I'm bored, so we're leaving." 

[Name] never protested or tried to pull away from him, while Mahiru rushed forward to stop him, "Wait!"

Tsubaki looked to Mahiru as he sighed dramatically. [Name] also turned to look at her cousin, offering him a small smile before looking to Kuro. She cast him a pleading look, begging him to understand while mouthing to him that she loved him and giving him a beautiful smile. There was a split second in time where the room felt stuffy and the echoing sound of Tsubaki's _geta_ was heard when suddenly, they were gone.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Just soes y'all know, _geta_ are traditional Japanese sandals and are what Tsubaki wears on his feet during the show! :)
> 
> Also, I know, shitty place to end the chapter, but I was running out of time to finish this and decided to set this up for the next chapter. 
> 
> So like I said, I was kind of gambling with the idea of how I integrated Tsubaki into this. And, just to be clear, **this is NOT going to turn into a Tsubaki/Reader story** , this is still a Kuro/Reader story, but I wanted to give a little humanity to Tsubaki and let him have the chance to connect to someone that could essentially bridge the gap between him and his siblings. Also, to address the lack of reaction Kuro might have had in this update, I chose not to have him go "animalistic" so to speak because I wanted to begin showcasing the faith he has in his lover, which will go into detail in the next update. So, how I wrote Kuro towards the end of this update was entirely intentional, just want to make that crystal clear!
> 
> With that being said, I'm not entirely opposed to writing a Tsubaki/Reader something, whether it's a short story like this or just a one-shot. (Let's be real, I already have a document with a prompt for Tsubaki ready to go. I just need some motivation to get it started~)
> 
> Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this! I had fun with the many different themes in this chapter and I already have a good idea of how I'm going to pace the next update, so stay tuned for that :)

**Author's Note:**

> So, how was that? ;) 
> 
> I know it's not my best and I tried desperately to keep Kuro in character, but unfortunately I can't gauge how he'd act with a female due to the his only real "bond" at the moment is how he interacts with Mahiru. With that being said, I also had a little bit of leeway with his character because he does have a humorous side to him that I decided to exploit a little more than in the series. I don't plan on making him a grossly romantic partner, but because he is a vampire and the reader-insert is his first love, I do plan on exploiting some of his quirks to go in the insert's favour~ :) 
> 
> **** PLEASE READ BELOW ****
> 
> The next chapter is the smut/sex scene, so if you don't want to read it, there will be a very obvious cut-off between that scene and the next, so you can choose whether or not you wish to read it. It's completely up to you so that way I can cater to a good chunk of readers in a sense. :)


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